Pure Beauty…Or Pure Shame?

Photo Credits (changes were made)

I was at work, just going through my tasks. I answered emails, sorted through the mail, and did some maintenance around the office, keeping piles of forms shrink wrapped, scratch paper cut up for notes, etc. Then I needed to search for something on the Internet. I pulled up the website, and on the sidebar was a huge picture of a sexy girl in a bikini, and underneath it, it said, “Pure Beauty.”

I closed out of the window and decided I could solve my problem in a way that wasn’t defiling.

But as I continued to work, I kept thinking about how it said underneath, “Pure Beauty.”

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Pure beauty? Pure beauty! PURE BEAUTY??!!

This is the culture’s definition of pure beauty. But is it really? Or is this a lie of Satan?

In the Garden of Eden, when God first made Adam and Eve, He made them without clothes. There was no shame. But then Adam and Eve sinned, and it says in Genesis 3:7, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

Why?

Because in a sinful, fallen world, they realized their shame.

God later kills an animal and makes them clothing. Clothing is a sign of dependence upon God.

As our culture drifts farther and farther from God, they reject modest covering, choosing instead to wear their shame and call it beauty. But it is NOT pure beauty. It is pure SHAME.

And what does that picture of that scantily clad girl tell us? In order to be beautiful, we have to be like her. In order to be happy, we must be like her.

But DO we want to be like her?

This girl is searching. She’s believing lies. She’s lost her sense of shame and she ISN’T getting what she wants. This is not beauty. The world will lie to you that this is the definition of beauty, but it’s not.

This. Is. Shame.

And this poor, sinful girl is not getting what she thought she would get, because beauty is not found in face or form, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The most beautiful and attractive thing in a woman is her fear of God, her love for Him, and her love for others. The joy seen in the smile of a woman who loves Christ is far more attractive and beautiful than a woman who puts her body on display for men to ogle.

In my home, we call these women Proverbs 7 women. My brothers have been taught to stay far away from Proverbs 7 women. Why? Read Proverbs 7 to find out.

“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of the hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

1 Peter 3:3-4

Do not let the culture convince you that beauty is external, or that the more you show, the more beautiful you are. The truth—that Satan will loooooove to keep hidden from you—is that beauty is found in a relationship with Christ. That beauty is not only far more attractive, but it also lasts for eternity.

If you want to read more about clothing, read Girl Defined’s article called, “The Naked Truth about Why We Wear Clothes.”

What lies have you believed in the culture about beauty? What messages do you see plastered over social media, magazines, and the internet? What messages do your friends tell you about beauty? Share in the comments!